


Fool For You

by psiten



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Apologies for Being a Jerk, Cisfem Shirogane Naoto But Still A Boss (for the two seconds she's in here), Coming Out, Fluff, Future Fic, Hanamura Yosuke is a Disaster Human, M/M, Mentions of Sex, Shirogane Naoto Does Not Do Romance, Tatsumi Kanji Works at Shirogane Detective Agency, Tatsumi Kanji and Shirogane Naoto are Friends - They Are Not Dating Here, Tatsumi Kanji is Basically a Paragon of Humanity, a little help from my friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 00:05:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15717831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psiten/pseuds/psiten
Summary: Every once in a while, Hanamura Yosuke looked at his life and wondered, "What brought me here?" Flying ass-up into a trash can, jumping through television screens to fight monsters with kitchen knives, staring at a Humanities 101 final exam essay question about some asshole named Thomas Paine and having no fucking clue who that was (thank goodness for Souji being able to whisper hints so the teacher couldn't hear, seriously). Choices brought you to a lot of places you didn't expect in life.There was a limit to how long I could go without giving Yosuke back the romantic love for Souji he was always meant to have -- and I've officially hit it. Besides, really, who would he turn to for advice before Kanji?





	Fool For You

     Every once in a while, Hanamura Yosuke looked at his life and wondered, "What brought me here?" Flying ass-up into a trash can, jumping through television screens to fight monsters with kitchen knives, staring at a Humanities 101 final exam essay question about some asshole named Thomas Paine and having no fucking clue who that was (thank goodness for Souji being able to whisper hints so the teacher couldn't hear, seriously). Choices brought you to a lot of places you didn't expect in life. Right now, he didn't know why, but everything had led to him standing at the door of the Shirogane Detective Agency, trying to figure out how to have possibly the most embarrassing and most important conversation of his whole life.

     Like, aside from when he'd come face to face with a yellow-eyed Shadow who'd happened to be part of him.

     And how did you walk into a detective's office anyway? Did you knock? Or did you just walk in? And, like, it was Naoto's place, and he wasn't exactly a customer, so did that change things? He decided to knock, just in case.

     "Enter," said a voice that got more mature every time he heard it. It was kind of disconcerting, honestly. Naoto had already been like a miniature adult when they were in high school. Now, she was, like, a mega-adult even though she still looked sixteen.

     Stomach tied up in knots, Yosuke turned the handle and cracked the door open, but once he got that far, his mind blanked out on how the rest of the, "open the door and walk in," process worked.

     A few murmurs he couldn't quite hear went back and forth on the other side of the door, the raucous voice he was looking for growled, "Okay, look, the lady said come in..." Tatsumi Kanji, still blond, still covered in skulls, slightly more pierced than he used to be, yanked the door open with Yosuke's hand still on the handle.

     It retrospect, it wasn't surprising that his grand entrance consisted of falling face over fist, arm half pulled out of its socket because he didn't let go of the handle fast enough. That was his life, the life of Hanamura Yosuke. He tried to act cool about it, shrug it off, even though his Yasogami crew were the least likely in the world to give him shit for being a dork. These two wouldn't, anyway. Chie would always give him shit no matter what, but not Naoto and Kanji. They were, like... Nice people.

     "Yosuke-sempai?" Kanji asked, shutting the door softly, like wanted to slam it but had been told not to.

     Naoto looked up from the filing she'd been doing. "I never expected you to need my services as a detective. Is something the matter, sempai?"

     "Not really," he answered. "I mean, yes, it's kind of a problem? But not really a _problem_ problem, you know? Like, not a _you_ problem, I mean. Not... that you're a problem, but it's also not a problem you'd have? I came because it's... actually a Kanji problem, to be honest."

     "Problem?!" All of a sudden, Yosuke remembered exactly how tall Kanji had gotten when he was staring straight up into the younger man's face. "I may be trouble, but I ain't nobody's problem! Y'got that?!"

     Yosuke threw his hands up in mock-surrender. He wasn't here to start a fight. "I know! I know! _You're_ not a problem, but I've _got_ a problem, and, well..." Yosuke winced at Kanji, who was looking more confused by the second. "I kinda feel like you're the only one who might understand it?"

     You could've cut the confusion in the room with a knife, but Yosuke wasn't sure how he could be any more clear without saying flat out, in front of anybody whose opinion he wasn't actively seeking, "I need to know how to tell if I'm gay."

     Thank goodness Naoto was quick. She had to be, what with being a detective and all, but Yosuke still let out a sigh when she said, "Ah. If I understand correctly, it sounds like you have a _romantic_ problem. Please excuse me," she said, walking for a door in the back with her files. "I'll be in my office if something _important_ arises."

     Kanji squinted at the door she shut behind her, then squinted even harder at Yosuke. "Okay, Yosuke-sempai, now I'm _really_ confused. What the hell's your deal?"

     "Well, first things first..." Taking a deep breath, Yosuke started the speech he practiced in his head on the train ride over. "Kanji. I need to apologize for some of the stuff I said to you in high school. I was a jerk. I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me."

     The grown-up punk didn't look any less confused. "You were a jerk to everybody, though," he said, and Yosuke tried not to melt into the floor remembering how, yeah, sometimes he really had been. "Why would you come to me to... Oh. Are you talking about that shit where you trashed me for liking dudes?"

     "Yeah. Uh. That. That is the exact shit. You like dudes, I was a jerk about it, it wasn't cool, and I'm sorry."

     "Yeah, okay."

     Yosuke wasn't quite sure what to do with his hands, so he stuck them in his pockets while he squeaked, "Does that mean you forgive me?"

     "I'll think about it." Kanji sat back in his chair at the reception desk. "So, what? You here to come out to me so you can ask for advice on what happened with you and Souji-sempai?"

     Geez, 'come out' was something he hadn't even considered applying to himself, but that was kind of what he was doing, wasn't it? "Man, when you put it like that, I don't even know..." Then the end of Kanji's sentence caught up with his brain. "Wait. What do you mean, 'What happened with me and Souji'? Something happened?!"

     Kanji's eyebrows shot toward his hairline. "Uhh..."

     "Oh, crap. Something _did_ happen." Kanji wasn't the type to troll people like that, and even if he were, it wasn't like he could lie without giving himself away. This was not good. "What did I do?" Yosuke asked. "It was me, right? I did something? I mean, Souji wouldn't fuck anything up. He's perfect. It's ridiculous. But I fuck things up all the time and never realize it!"

     The last time he'd seen a look as incredulous as the one Kanji was making now had been when he'd asked Rise if tofu ice cream was really a thing. "Yosuke-sempai, you seriously don't remember? When the squad all went out dancing at the club last week?"

     Suddenly, he had an all too clear idea of what he might have done. "Uh oh. Are you telling me I didn't dream all that after I passed out?"

     "If by, 'all that', you mean how after you got shit-faced, you did the Macarena on the table until you fell into sempai's lap, and said... what was it?" Kanji fixed his eyes on the ceiling while he tried to remember. Yosuke kind of wished there wouldn't be a quote, but he kind of also deserved this. "I think you said, 'God, bro, you have the best freckles. I never used to get how people liked freckles, but now I always want to kiss that freckle off your lip.' And then you tried to make out with him."

     "Tried?" Yosuke asked.

     Kanji looked at him like he was an idiot, which he probably deserved. "Yeah. Tried. You know, you really oughta drink less, sempai. Anyway, Souji-sempai got you into your own seat in a snap like some kind of ninja and then said it was time for you to go home. I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to go there with you until the beer goggles are off, you know? He's got class like that."

     "Geez." In the dream he'd _thought_ was all that'd been, he'd done more than try. He'd practically gotten to second base before waking up with a raging boner for his best friend and roommate who was already up and changing into his gym clothes, which really hadn't helped. Neither had Souji's snarky smile when he'd asked if Yosuke wanted to come with. "So. I guess everybody knows I'm kinda gay, then."

     "You're bi, dude. Same as me. Same as my boyfriend. You can like dudes and chicks. It's fine."

     Yosuke collapsed into the client chair on the other side of the desk. Because yeah, he definitely did like at least one dude, and he couldn't even say it was the beer. Souji's freckles really were... interesting like that. So were a lot of things, if he was being honest, and the memories of a lot of moments flooding back into his head with new context made him wonder how he'd ever managed to not notice the way his heart got all fluttery when he thought about Souji's lips. Or back. Or freaking eyebrows.

     "Shit. I just wish people had found out with, like... a little more dignity from me, you know?" It was kind of a relief, though, knowing that all his best friends had seen that and weren't being assholes about it the way he'd been when he was kid. He was still embarrassed, sure, but... maybe this would turn out okay? Clearly the gang didn't hate him. He'd think about other people, like his parents, when he got this more figured out in his own head.

     With a scoff, Kanji said, "Yeah, well. At least you didn't get outed to a bunch of asshole strangers in high school by your repressed emotions flouncing around in a fucking bath towel."

     "Okay, that's fair."

     "Besides, everybody already knew you got the hots for Souji-sempai."

     Yosuke's heart felt like it jumped into his throat. "What?"

     The eyeroll his former underclassman made could have stood to be a _little_ less amused. "Yeah. Like... pro tip? If you don't want people to know you're crushing on a dude, don't stare at his ass every time he walks away like it's the fucking Mona Lisa or some shit. You've been doing that for years. I know Souji-sempai has a nice ass and all, but you seriously need to learn to chill."

     "Why didn't anybody _tell_ me I was gay?! Or bisexual or whatever this is?!"

     Kanji groaned through a double facepalm, "Can we be done with this conversation now?"

     "Just one more question?"

     "I'm not gonna tell you how to fuck a guy. Go find a WikiHow on the internet."

     "No, no! Like..." Yosuke leaned in close to whisper. "Does Souji know? Do you think he's okay with it? I mean, obviously he's not an asshole, since he... I mean, clearly he knows and it's okay, but what are the chances that it's... _okay_?" From the way Kanji was starting to growl, Yosuke figured he'd better just spit it out. "What I mean is, do you think... he'd... you know. Be into me? How do I ask?"

     "Are you fucking kidding me?!" Kanji roared.

     "What?! It's a legitimate question! I don't want to assume!"

     "Every time somebody asks him if there's a girl he's got his eye on, he says, 'Actually, I'd rather date Yosuke'!! He has literally been doing that since high school! I _wish_ I could be as confident about being out as sempai is!"

     "I always thought he was joking!"

     "Yosuke-sempai, no offense, I wouldn't usually speak for another dude like this, but you have nothing to worry about. Here..." Sighing, Kanji pulled out a pad of paper and wrote down a list of flowers. Yosuke definitely saw red roses, with red double underlined, and a few flower names he didn't even recognize. "I'm not sure I trust you to pick out flowers, so go to a florist and ask for a bouquet of these. It's gonna run you at least ¥5000, but don't be an asshole and skimp! All right?!"

     "All right..." He didn't actually know where to find a florist, but that was what phones were for, right? Also, damn, a list and a price estimate? Kanji really knew what he was doing! Practical advice for the win!

     "When you've got the flowers, go right back to your apartment and give them to Souji-sempai. Write out a card that says how you feel first, though, just in case you forget how to talk like a grown-up. And if you have any more questions about how to _live while not being straight_ or some bullshit, talk it out with him. He's gonna be ten times better at helping you figure yourself out than me."

     "Geez, Kanji. I don't know how to thank you."

     Even capping a pen looked like a threat when Kanji did it with his special Kanji glare. "You can get your head out of your ass, is what you can do. Souji-sempai deserves to be happy, so don't fuck this up."

     "Right!"

     "Also, pick up some condoms if you don't have any."

     "Excuse me?!"

     Staring down a six-foot bottle blond wasn't how Yosuke had imagined getting his first dude-dating-dudes sex tips, but he'd come to Kanji for advice, so he'd take what he could get. "I'm not saying you're definitely gonna need them, but not being prepared sucks. Anyway, Souji-sempai is really smooth, and no judgment, it's cool, but I'm betting you're really easy, Yosuke-sempai."

     "Okay, that's fair. I would also say I'm probably really, really easy." Internally, Yosuke played through his mental reactions to the thought of Souji making a move, and upgraded that to, 'definitely'. Then he had to force himself to think about tofu so he didn't give himself yet another raging boner. What even was his life?

     "So yeah, I give it fifty-fifty that you get laid tonight," Kanji said with a shrug. "Buy condoms."

     Yosuke watched Kanji roll his eyes again while he walked around the desk, but didn't fight when the punk dragged him out of his own chair toward the door. The dude was ripped. And oh shit... that feeling when he looked at Kanji's arms... was that the, ' _Okay, that's hot_ ,' feeling?! It wasn't the same as seeing Souji with his shirt off, and he wasn't tempted to kiss Kanji the way he'd been thinking about making out with his roommate for the past week, but that still probably meant he liked dudes in general, and Souji wasn't just an exception.

     And once again, as he was getting pushed out the door with a former schoolmate growling, "Don't come back till you've talked to him," Hanamura Yosuke had to wonder...

     What had brought his life to this point? Standing like a dork outside a detective agency, holding a prescription for flowers and condoms, thinking, "I can't believe I'm not straight..."

     Well. Okay. Actually, he could totally believe he wasn't straight. It was just gonna take some getting used to.


End file.
